US report on Abu Akleh killing must be made public, senator urges

Washington, D.C. – A US senator has called on President Joe Biden’s administration to make public a government report on the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

Democrat Chris Van Hollen said Monday that he reviewed the report from the US Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority (USSC) — weeks after requesting it from the State Department.

But Van Hollen said he now wants it released “in its entirety”.

“I firmly believe that its public release is essential to ensure transparency and accountability in the death of US citizen and journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and to prevent future avoidable and wrongful deaths – goals we should all support” the senator said in a statement.

Veteran Palestinian-American correspondent Abu Akleh was killed on May 11, 2022 while reporting on an Israeli raid on Jenin, a city in the occupied West Bank.

At first, Israeli officials falsely accused Palestinian gunmen of fatally shooting Abu Akleh before acknowledging months later that she was likely killed by an Israeli soldier.

Yet Israel has dismissed the incident as accidental and has not opened a criminal investigation into the killing — calling on the US, a staunch Israeli ally, to conduct its own investigation and seek accountability in the matter.

Van Hollen said Monday that the USSC, which oversees and encourages security coordination between Israeli and Palestinian officials, has been denied access to key witnesses and “was unable to conduct an independent investigation” into the killing.

Still, the senator said the report provides “very important insights” into the incident, including about the Israeli unit involved in the operation that led to Abu Akleh’s death, “as well as other [Israeli military] units operating in the West Bank”.

The report is described as a “summary” document on other investigations into the incident.

In July 2022, the State Department cited an initial USSC summary of the probes conducted by Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) as saying that Israeli gunfire was “probably responsible” for Abu Akleh’s death, though it found no reason to believe the shooting. was intentional.

The assessment angered Palestinian rights defenders, who noted that US authorities failed to interview witnesses and ignored the PA’s conclusion that the shooting was intentional.

The USSC report, which Van Hollen said he read Monday, is believed to be a more thorough account of the US government’s findings. Specific details of the report, including when it was completed and what it contains, remain unclear.

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Witnesses, video footage and investigations by numerous media outlets have concluded that there was no fighting in the immediate vicinity of where Abu Akleh – who was in full press gear – was fatally shot.

In the months since, Van Hollen and other US lawmakers have called for a US investigation into the incident.

Late last year, Israeli and US media reported that the FBI was investigating the murder, but US authorities – including the Justice and State Departments – have refused to confirm or deny the existence of the alleged investigation.

US officials initially called for accountability in the case, including prosecution of the Abu Akleh killers to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Weeks after the shooting, Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said Washington was seeking an “independent” investigation into the murder.

But Washington seemed to drop that question last year. Instead, the State Department now says it is seeking accountability by calling on Israel to review its military rules of engagement — a demand Israeli leaders have openly rejected.

“In the wake of the death of Shireen Abu Akleh, Secretary Blinken has asked the government of Israel to [military] rules of engagement in the West Bank, but he has been rejected — such review remains necessary,” Van Hollen said in Monday’s statement.

Last month, on the first anniversary of Abu Akleh’s assassination, the family of the Al Jazeera journalist met with lawmakers in Washington, DC to renew calls for justice.

“It’s not just that the Biden administration has done nothing to bring about justice for Shireen; it is that they are actively working to block any kind of accountability,” Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib told reporters at the time.

“If the government really wanted to help, they would launch a full State Department investigation into whether or not US weapons were used to commit these and other war crimes and human rights violations.”